EVERYTHING you need to know about PS 78 in The Bronx – the school that harbored an accused serial child-rapist on its faculty – I learned in a two-minute telephone call.

May I speak to the prin- cipal?

“I can’t tell you her name,” barked the phone-answerer, apparently forgetting that she was talking about a taxpayer-paid public servant.

That’s right. You and I pay the salary of those who would protect a man alleged to have raped your children on the job.

Oh, but damn the kids! Careers are at stake here.

The name of the principal of PS 78, by the way, is Claudina Skerritt. That’s CLAUDINA SKERRITT.

The second-most important thing I learned about PS 78, that school where an accused child-rapist felt secure in the knowledge that his sordid acts would be winked at like some innocent hobby, I learned when I called the office of the school system’s special investigator. That’s the guy who works independently of the school system, ostensibly to shield our kids from the Milton McFarlanes of the world.

That fellow, ED STANCIK, received a complaint about McFarlane back in 1998. Stancik, who ordinarily could beat Hillary Clinton in a foot race to a TV camera, did not return a call. He did issue an absurd statement, which reads in part:

“Based upon the limited information made known to us about the 1998 McFarlane allegation, we referred the matter to the Board of Education’s internal investigators immediately upon receiving it.” (Emphasis added.)

Three years ago, this second-grade teacher was accused of making passes at little boys and exposing himself. Was he fired? Investigated? Removed from the classroom?

No. Stancik shipped the matter back to the Board of Ed. Immediately.

Which is a little like appointing Robert Downey Jr. to crack down on the use of illegal substances in Hollywood.

The board did nothing. Except make McFarlane more comfortable. And more bold.

Following the trail of the serial child-rapist case was serially depressing. A woman at the Board of Ed’s Special Investigations arm told me the unit doesn’t give out information.

My call was referred to Patria Frias Colon, of the board’s Office of Legal Services. She didn’t call back, either.

Who must answer when a teacher allegedly uses his position to prey on 8- and 9-year-old boys?

Sources in and around PS 78 yesterday told me that McFarlane’s “weird” behavior was well known.

The teacher was moody. Alternately kind and cruel.

One little boy of 8 says he was molested several times by McFarlane. So why did no one in authority listen?

The answer might be this: The kids thought the teacher was gay.

Ordinarily, this would not be an issue. But one parent told me that she felt school officials took a hands-off approach when it came to McFarlane, not wanting to appear as if they were persecuting a man for his sexual orientation. They gave him a pass. And he allegedly took advantage.

Now, he is out of the classroom, but will continue to be paid, until Schools Chancellor Harold Levy manages to fire the bum.

Who is accountable when a teacher damages children and decimates the public trust?

Don’t blame Levy. He was still on Wall Street when McFarlane was first accused three years ago.

Don’t blame the union. It didn’t have to lift a finger to defend McFarlane against the negligent Board of Education.

How about school officials?

We have a school system in which accountability is an alien concept. Officials hide under the desk by design.

But when we are given the chance to make a drastic change, such as privatization, parents, cheered on by the same officials and teachers who would harbor a rapist, vote no.